Terra Nova New Home
by Jochern
Summary: This takes place before the Phoenix Group arrives. An expedition returns but Inadvertently brings back a new type of Flesh eating insect. these flesh eating insects weren't native to the region and cause problems for Colonists and Sixers alike. They seems to be far more intelligent then other insects. One thing is clear, there are enough bugs to wipe out Terra Nova.
1. Chapter 1 Uninvited

Terra Nova

New Home

Chapter 1 Uninvited

Nathanial Taylor exit his office and walk down the stairs towards the main gate.

Jim Shannon crosses the yard and goes off towards him.

The sun set on high in the sky as it was midday. Five rovers was coming towards the main gate which was opening.

"Shannon", Taylor said.

He kept walking as Jim kept up his steps with him.

"Taylor", Jim greeted back. "What's going on"?

Taylor stopped and looked out at the rovers.

"An expeditions returning", Taylor told him.

Jim was seemingly interested.

"I wasn't aware we had an expedition out right now", Jim replied.

He knew he didn't knew everything going on at all-time but Taylor hadn't mentioned anything about a returning expedition.

"I know", Taylor replied. "They left before you and your family got here".

He looked to Jim.

"They've been gone for a quite long time", Taylor said.

Taylor couldn't help but let his mind wander a bit. This expedition hadn't been as successful as others. Not that they hadn't found a lot of samples to bring back but for the reason that five of them wasn't returning at all. During the last contact the expedition's security chief had told him she'd surprise him with something they brought back.

He couldn't say he was wondering what she meant.

He'd been told it wasn't even any bodies to bury for the five dead.

The rovers drove through the gate as it started closing behind them.

They stopped a few meters from Taylor and Jim.

Jim noticed Taylor had a smile on his lips.

Taylor nodded to a black female in her late 20s in the first rovers driver's seat.

She had a black modern cowboy hat hanging behind her head. Her black hair sat up in a ponytail.

She had a brown unbuttoned jacket with a black shirt under and black pants with a pair of black walking boots.

The woman had a grin on her face.

"McAllen", Taylor said raising his voice.

The woman swung around and spotted him.

Taylor could remember McAllen come in on the third Pilgrimage. She definitely was a real strange one. Still in danger, her having his back could be the difference between life and death.

She walked over with a smile.

On her back Jim now noticed a type of sniper rifle hanging.

"Commander Taylor", the black woman said. "Long time no see".

"McAllen", Taylor said. "Feels like years".

McAllen grinned.

Her eyes shifted to Jim.

"Hey", Jim said shaking her hand. "Jim Shannon. Arrived on the last pilgrimage".

"Ah", McAllen said. "That explained why I didn't recognize you. "I'm Vanessa McAllen".

A man from the second rover walked over to the three.

He had a white and blue shirt and light brown jeans.

He looked to be around 40 plus.

"Commander Taylor", he said. "Nice to see you again".

Taylor repaid his smile with a smile back.

"Doctor Grant. You're in one piece I see", Taylor said.

"Surprising right", Grant said looking over at McAllen. "Vanessa, where do you want the skulls"?

"Eh… my house I guess", McAllen said. "But why don't you take one, aye".

This caught Taylor's interest.

"What skulls"? He asked.

McAllen turned back to the two.

"I got three Slasher skulls", McAllen explained. "Kill 'em myself".

She looked a bit proud.

"With that rifle I would assume", Jim said pointing at that rifle on her back. "You must be a skilled marksman".

"One of the best", Taylor filled in. "Why don't you come to my office later when you've had a chance to rest".

McAllen nodded and left for the last rover.

Doctor Grant reached out to shake Jim's hand.

"Hello, I am Doctor Alan Grant", Grant said. "It's my pleasure to meet you".

"Jim Shannon", Jim introduced himself. "If am not mistaken you're a dinosaur expert, right"?

"You've heard of me I take it", Grant said. "From the book I wrote in 2149"?

"Not really", Jim said. "From my oldest daughter. She's a real fan of yours".

Grant smiled.

"Well tell her I'd need some assistance with all this samples we've brought back", Grant said. "If she's not too busy".

Malcom came walking as boxes was loaded out of the rovers.

"Taylor"! McAllen shouted from the rear end of the last rover.

She waved her hand to get him attention.

Jim and Taylor went over there.

"You really wanna see this", McAllen stated. "Told ye I had a surprise for you".

From the rover two men carried out a box with thick glass.

They both was taken a back to the content of it.

Inside they saw a giant bright red spider twice the size of a human head.

"Wow", Jim said taking a step back. "I hate spiders".

McAllen grinned.

"Where the heck did you find that"? Taylor asked.

Malcom hurried over when he saw the content.

"We've nether seen a spider this big before", Malcom said.

He bent down looking at the spider.

Taylor looked at McAllen.

"It walked into our camp", McAllen said. "It was in Harrison and Denham's tent when they woke up three months ago".

"It killed Harrison"? Taylor assumed.

"No", McAllen replied.

Taylor was a bit surprised by the answer.

"Then what killed him three months ago McAllen"? Taylor asked.

He had noted from contact that it was three months ago Corporal Harrison died.

"That killed him", McAllen said nodding into the rover.

Another glass box with bugs was carried out. It had a dozen white beetle looking things in it.

Malcom had to agree they looked creepy.

"H-how did they killed him"? Malcom asked, not sure he wanted to know. "Poison"?

"They ate him", McAllen said. "From the inside and out".

Malcom was right, he didn't want to know. He immediately felt sick.

The bugs crawled around the box, trying to get out.

"They what"? Taylor said.

McAllen nodded. "Hundreds of the bloody things. But don't worry these bugs was miles and miles from here. But Doctor Kenneth can tell you more about them. "Lost five guys to those bloody things".

Later

Doctor Donald Kenneth are a 37 year old black man with black hair in cornrows.

He was tall and had muscular arms.

Malcom used a computer to help with the registration of what was brought back. From plants to bugs.

Kenneth placed the containment box on a table in the same room and began going through his logs.

Malcom glanced over to him.

"So, have you named them yet"? Malcom asked.

Kenneth looked over his shoulder.

"I thought Pegasus-beetle was a fitting name", Kenneth said. "From what little data I have, they had a Hive underground. Probably it could be hundreds to tens of thousands in every hive".

"I can understand that it wasn't the easiest thing to study this little buggers", Malcom said.

At that moment Elisabeth Shannon entered the room.

Behind her walked Zoe.

Malcom turned to them.

"Elisabeth have a look at this", Malcom said.

He made a gesture to the Pegasus-beetles and Kenneth.

"Oh my", Elisabeth said. "What do we have here"?

She shook hands with Kenneth as she looked away from the beetles.

After an introduction they returned to the bugs.

"Why are they white mommy"? Zoe asked.

"Bugs exist in many different colors sweetie", Elisabeth said.

Kenneth bent down to Zoe.

"You have a good eye little one", Kenneth said. "It actually are a strange color".

He began making gestures in the air in front of him.

He made Zoe grin. Elisabeth could tell Kenneth was good with kids.

"Sense these beetles live underground I would have surmised that a better color would have been black or brown".

Zoe glanced at the box.

She pointed at it.

"I thinks it's sick", Zoe said.

Kenneth glanced at the bugs and to his surprise saw that one lay still without moving suddenly.

"Hmm", he said. "Strange. They were all fine a second ago".

"It could be sick", Elisabeth suggested.

"Yes but it's just as likely that it was old or just died of hunger", Malcom said. "It's almost impossible to tell in this condition".

"Well you could always open up", Kenneth joked.

The next day

"I can't thank you enough doctor Grant", Maddie said thankful and enthusiastic.

"No, it's really I who should thank you Maddie", Grant said returning her smile.

The registration of all the samples he had went much faster than he thought it would have without her helping hand.

Maddie logged in a new flower in the computer.

"Have you named it yet doctor"? Maddie asked.

"No", Grant said. "But I was thinking something along the lines of Maddie".

Surprised Maddie turned straight to him.

"W-what"? She said. "You wanna name it after me"?

She was chocked over the news.

"I-it would be an honor doctor Grant", Maddie stammered out.

Grant stood up from his chair.

"Tell me Maddie", Grant said. "What would you say about coming with him on the next expedition? With your parent's permission off course".

Four soldiers check out a perimeter alert as it gets darker outside.

McAllen is one of them. Another once corporal Reilly and the two after is named Ackerman and Foley.

Ackerman was born in Britain and Foley in the US.

"Anybody got anything"? Reilly asked.

"Nothing", Foley replied.

They walked around the area of the alert without seeing anything.

Ackerman sigh.

"Whatever it was", he said. "It gone now. Could have been a dinosaur passing by".

Suddenly Foley felt something crawling onto his leg.

He looked down seeing a white bug.

"Jesus"! He exclaimed. With the rifle he beat it off and crushed it.

Ackerman and McAllen turned to him.

"What"? Ackerman asked quickly.

"A freakin' bug"! Foley complained.

McAllen grinned but Ackerman sigh.

"Maybe it set of the alert", he suggested.

"It would have had to be a lot of bugs", Reilly said annoyed by the stupid idea.

Foley stepped on another white bug as it came towards him.

But suddenly dozens come towards him from different directions.

He gave out a yell when they climbed up on him.

As the other turned McAllen recognized the white beetles.

She gasped and stepped away.

Foley dropped his rifle and tried to get them off as some drilled themselves into him.

After only seconds Foley was lying on the ground covered in bugs.

He stopped screaming and moving.

"Run"! Shouted Reilly. "Back to the rover"!

They run as fast as they could with the Pegasus-beetles right behind.

It was hundreds of them.

When they got into the rover and drove away the bugs just barely missed them.

"God", Ackerman said. "What the hell man"!

He looked back as they drove towards the main gate.

Lieutenant Washington saw the rover come towards the gate in full speed.

She jogged to the gate which was already opening.

The rover made a dead stop well inside.

Reilly got out of the driver's seat.

"Lieutenant Washington, we have a situation", Reilly said.

"More than that", McAllen said. "We gotta talk to Taylor, now".

Washington noticed that the fourth man was missing.

"Where's Foley"? Washington asked.

She already suspected he was dead.

"They ate him"! Ackerman said. "Those god damn bugs"!

"Bugs"? Washington asked.

Coincidentally Taylor was heading for his office and McAllen spotted him.

"Commander"! McAllen shouted.

Taylor turned his attention to her.

"Sir", Washington said. "I'm afraid private Foley's gone".

Taylor starred at her.

That last thing he expected to hear now was that someone had died.

"What the hell happened"? Taylor demanded to know.

"Those damn Pegasus-beetles attacked us", McAllen said.

Taylor looked at her.

"You don't mean those you found several miles from here"? He hoped.

McAllen nodded unfortunately.

6


	2. Chapter 2 Guests

Terra Nova

New Home

Chapter 2 Guests

Taylor had called an immediate meeting in his office the next morning.

Jim, Washington, Malcom, Kenneth and McAllen gathered early.

"Do we know why those bugs are here"? Taylor asked. "And how"?

"We, eh… have a theory", Malcom said.

"We believe they followed us here", Kenneth said.

"Excuse me doctor"? Taylor asked confused and in disbelief.

McAllen put her head on the side and wasn't completely believing and following the theory.

"They're not native to our region you see", Malcom explained. "That's why we haven't seen them before. But 29 miles away they are a native species and they must have followed us here".

"Obviously", Jim said sarcastically.

"Look", Kenneth said. "It's the only reason they could be outside Terra Nova so quickly. I believe the Pegasus-beetles could be FAR more intelligent than other insects".

As Kenneth talked he made gestures with his hands like always.

As the others worked on grasping and believing the theory Taylor leaned back in his chair, taking it all in.

It it was true this intelligent bugs followed them, well… they hardly had any kind of defense against a swarm of flesh eating beetles.

Taylor shook his head to himself.

"I don't even know what to say Malcom", Taylor confessed.

"Have you two been drinkin' maybe"? McAllen asked.

Malcom threw an annoyed and insulted look at her.

"We're not joking about this, thank you very much", Malcom said in a slightly harsher tone.

McAllen shrugged her shoulders, crossed her arms and looked at Taylor.

"Look", Kenneth said. "How many bugs do you know that travel almost 30 miles to find food"?

Taylor looked at the two scientists.

"Fine", he said finally. "Why are they outside Terra Nova"?

He knew he couldn't risk being wrong and simply dismissing Malcom and Kenneth's theory.

"I can only think of that we took some of their hive members", Malcom as he sighed.

He couldn't come up with a better motive for the moment.

Malcom could see Taylor didn't buy it. But then again he didn't really either.

"Maybe there here for the food", Jim said. "They could have gotten a taste for human flesh".

"Surely they had food in their own backyard", Washington disagreed.

"Just because you have Swedish meatballs you're not gonna turn down a pizza", Malcom clarified.

McAllen suddenly realized something and looked at Malcom. She had a concerned look on her face. Almost a bit scared. After all she had seen this damn things in action twice.

Not something she'd like to see again.

"Malcom", McAllen said.

He looked at her.

"They're not moving here, right"? She asked hopeful.

Malcom's eyes widened and immediately turned to Kenneth.

Kenneth nor Malcom hadn't considered that option yet.

Taylor leaned forward in his chair.

"This colony can't survive hundreds of thousands of flesh eating beetles", Taylor said.

"I-I can only say that I to god hope they're not moving the hive here", Malcom said.

"You're the insect expert doctor Kenneth", Taylor said. "Your opinion"?

Kenneth thought for a moment before replying the commander.

"Well", he said with hesitation. "On earth we know species of insects that move around to find food. There was an ant in Africa that didn't have a real colony but only move to new places every"…

Taylor interrupted him.

"Doctor", Taylor said irritated. "The short version please".

"Well you know", Kenneth said. "Haven't the slightest idea".

"How can we deal with them"? Jim asked.

"If we do find them having a hive here we can kill the Queen with a poisonous gas", Malcom suggested. "That would cause the whole hive to die".

He looked to Kenneth that nodded in agreement.

"Maybe we should fix up some Theoxid, just in case", Kenneth suggested. "It's highly toxic".

"Do it", Taylor ordered. "In the meantime nobody leaves the colony". He looked at Washington who nodded.

"Yes commander", Washington said.

_The Sixers camp_

A small group of fifteen Sixers had made camp in the jungle after two days walk.

The sun was high in the sky when they made camp but they had been traveling for many hours without resting.

An Asian bold man finished his tent.

He wasn't much for traveling himself.

He don't understand why he had to come. Surely someone else could have.

"Douglas"! Someone shouted.

He turned around.

Douglas noticed Lindstrom waving him over.

The Norwegian man had long orange hair and was a head shorter.

Olle Lindstrom was one of the smartest people Douglas had ever met.

"What"? Douglas asked walking closer.

He saw him standing by what looked to be some kind of anthill built by dirt and sand.

It was half a meter high. Douglas saw a line of bugs moving out and into it.

They bugs looked like some kind beetles. It was a bit strange to see beetles build an underground colony like ants on earth.

"Have a look at this my man", Lindstrom told Douglas.

"Bugs"? Douglas asked without enthusiasm.

Lindstrom nodded. He was enthusiastic about it.

"So"? Douglas asked.

"Beetles nesting underground in colonies"? Lindstrom said. "No that's something alright".

A man named Porter came over.

He had a walrus mustache and brown messy hair. He was about 30 years old.

Douglas didn't like him. He thought Porter was an a-hole.

Porter smirked at the sight.

He picked up a rock and walked over to the line of bugs.

"Come on man", Lindstrom said. "You'll piss them off". He grinned at Porter.

Mira stood up from talking with Freya Higgs.

She wondered what they were doing other by a dirt pile. Mira kept an eye on them incase they started fighting, again.

Douglas and Porter had been at it a few times before.

Her eyes glanced around on piles of dirt and sand behind the other and around it.

She counted eight. It wasn't random piles.

"Mira"? Freya asked.

Without a word Mira walked towards another of the piles. It was about 50 meters away.

That's when she noticed that it was a pile of dirt but a bug nest.

They'd made camp by a bug nest.

Porter squashed two white beetles with the rock and grinned. He had a childish and sadistic sense of humor.

Douglas throw him arms in the air and walked away from Porter and Lindstrom.

When some beetles scattered Porter stepped on them.

Mira bent down looking at the bugs. She hadn't seen them before.

"Mira"! Lindstrom yelled on the top of his lungs.

She quickly turned around.

Lindstrom and Porter was running. From what she didn't see.

"Bugs"! Porter yelled. "Run"!

A wave of white beetles was behind them, swarming out of the hive entrances.

Mira swung around. Behind her beetles swarmed out of the entrance and every other pile of dirt around.

The ground around the camp was coloring white.

Mira begun to run, not wanting to be bug food.

"To the rovers"! Mira shouted.

Douglas stopped for a second and turned around.

He saw a beetle on his boot. It bite its way inside. Douglas began to panic.

He felt a tremens pain as it made its way inside his foot. Eating its way up.

The Sixer fell over backwards. He had only been lying still for two-three seconds when beetles began swarming him. He tried to get them off but more and more climbed up on him. In seconds the camp hand been overrun. Most hadn't made it out of the tents.

Mira opened the door to the closest rover. She heard screams from her people behind her. She wanted to help but knew she couldn't.

Lindstrom got into the seat next to hers. He had nether been so scared in his life as far as he remembered.

"Come on Mira"! He shouted. "Let's go for god sake"!

Freya Higgs got into another rover.

Beetles quickly crawled over it. Thousands of them.

Some made their way inside. The rover had become a deathtrap.

The female Sixer in panic opened the door to get out but hundreds of beetles swarmed inside the open door.

Freya kicked and was lying over the front seats screaming.

As she screamed beetles crawled in her mouth and down her throat, eating her from the inside and out.

Mira saw Freya in the rearview mirror.

Or she saw her kicking legs and arms and she heard her scream.

Porter got into the rover seconds earlier.

Mira pushed down the gas and drove off.

They had left two rovers behind.

4


	3. Chapter 3 A bug problem

Terra Nova

New Home

Chapter 3 A Bug Problem

Taylor meets up with Jim in a lab building. Malcom and Kenneth are working on the poison they had talked about.

"How's it going Malcom"? Taylor asked.

"Good actually", Malcom said. "There's only one problem".

Jim had the feeling that something always was problematic.

"What is it"? Taylor asked.

"It's going to take days to manufacture enough of the Theoxid to kill the whole hive", Kenneth said.

"Who said anything about the whole hive"? Jim asked.

Malcom sigh, as if it was obvious.

"We have to make sure the queen dies", Malcom said. "We're only going to have one chance at this probably".

Kenneth didn't take his eyes up from the computer screen.

"We'll leave you to it then", Taylor said.

He and Jim decided to leave.

"This could turn ugly very fast Shannon", Taylor said as they walked.

"How it going with finding the hive"? Jim asked. "Assuming there is one".

Taylor shook his head.

"Got nothing", he said irritated over it. "But we believe we know where to look".

Jim looked at him surprised.

"How"? He asked.

"We've noticed that it one area there are no dinosaurs anymore", Taylor explained. "They seems to have just left".

"I would probably to if I saw hundreds of thousands of beetles coming at me", Jim said.

"Aha", Taylor agreed.

Zoe was walking around amongst apple trees. She sat down in the green and soft grass.

She enjoyed feeling the hot summer sun in her face.

"Hello Zoe", a female voice said.

Zoe looked up to see McAllen standing there.

"What are you doing here all alone"? McAllen asked smiling.

Zoe shrugged her shoulders.

"Because", she replied.

McAllen grinned.

"Good answer Zoe", she said patting her head a messing her hair up a bit.

Apparently she was just passing by and walked away from Zoe.

Zoe stood up and happily walked off in a different direction.

Suddenly she stopped when she saw a strange bug.

Zoe remembered she'd seen the white bug before in that nice and funny doctors lab.

She'd been told it was dangerous and walked backwards away from it.

Maybe it had seen her because if started flying towards her.

Zoe took a few faster steps and lost her footing. She fell backwards and found herself sitting in the soft grass.

Zoe crawled backwards away from the bug but it was much faster than her.

Two more came down from the tree and towards her.

They was running on the ground in her direction.

McAllen stopped and turned when she heard a child scream.

"Zoe"! McAllen shouted and started running. "Zoe"!

She grabbed her sonic pistol and hurried around the corner of a building.

Zoe was crawling away from three Pegasus-beetles.

The two running was almost at Zoe's feet when a tree come in the way for Zoe.

A sonic blast his the ground, squashing the two in the last second. It almost hit Zoe too.

The third beetles was hit with a sonic pistol and fell to the ground where it was stepped on.

McAllen grabbed Zoe and pulled her up. She bent down to her and made eye contact.

"Zoe are you alright"? McAllen asked.

Zoe nodded and surprised her with a hug.

McAllen hugged her back.

"It's okay Zoe", McAllen said in a soft voice. "You're safe".

When Zoe let go McAllen grabbed her hand gently.

"Let's go find your parents", she said.

Jim walked into the lab Elisabeth and Malcom worked in.

"You need to hurry up with that stuff", Jim said.

"Good work takes time", Malcom said. "Why would my reply indicate a shorter amount of time now"?

"Those bugs attacked Zoe", Jim said.

Elisabeth gasped. "Is she alright"? She asked immediately.

Malcom looked up at Jim.

"How many"? He asked.

"She's fine", Jim ensured his wife. "McAllen said three. Why"?

Elisabeth was relieved to hear Zoe was okay.

Her heart jumped when she first heard Zoe had been attacked.

Malcom thought for a moment.

"Could be a scouting party", he proposed.

Jim sigh.

"Don't make these bugs sound any smarter Malcom", Jim said.

Malcom looked offended.

"That's what ants do, so why not the Pegasus-beetles", Malcom stated.

"Zoe's home with Josh right now", Jim told Elisabeth, ignoring Malcom for a moment. "She's sleeping".

Taylor walked around his office desk.

"I'm not ordering you", Taylor said. "It is extremely dangerous".

Ackerman, Reynolds and McAllen was in the room.

Reynolds looked at Ackerman.

McAllen shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm in", she said simply. "Let's go on a bug hunt", she grinned.

Taylor smirked and shook his head.

"Count me in sir", Reynolds said saluting.

Ackerman sigh.

"Yeah fine", he said. "Let's just get going".

Taylor nodded and they left.

"I knew you couldn't resist some action Ackerman", McAllen said.

"Oh screw you McAllen", Ackerman said.

McAllen let out a laugh.

"Come on", she said. "It'll be fun".

Taylor's idea was to send out a team in a rover to locate the hive and report back quickly. It was dangerous and very possible the team wouldn't return but he believed he made the right call.

3


End file.
